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Dogwoods are often flashy members of whatever vegetation community they belong to: Whether it’s the bold color of their autumn vegetation or the showy petal-like bracts, these shrubs and trees can bring a patch of woods alive like few others. In the coastal ranges and valleys of north-central California, two species are most likely to be encountered in wildland rambles: the widespread red-osier dogwood (Cornus sericea) and the more sparsely distributed Pacific dogwood (Cornus nuttallii) of the highlands.

Size and Shape

Look at the stature and form of the shrub or tree. Pacific dogwood usually manifests as a small tree between 20 and 50 feet high. Red-osier dogwood is a medium-size shrub – usually no taller than 15 feet or so – and commonly forms thickets.

Foliage

Examine the leaves, if they’re present; both Pacific and red-osier dogwood are deciduous. The distinctively layered, opposite leaf arrangement is a defining feature. Red-osier foliage consists of large, generally lanceolate or elliptical leaves 2 to 4 inches long and up to 2 inches wide, with pointed tips and an entire margin. Leaves of the Pacific dogwood are similar, though sometimes larger and more consistently elliptical; they turn a rich crimson in autumn. In both species, five or so prominent, curving veins flank the midvein.

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Twigs

Note the stem coloration in the case of red-osier dogwood. The bold red twigs of this species are its most distinct feature; they set the shrub apart even in winter barrenness. You can often register red-osier dogwood thickets at a significant distance as a hazy crimson band along wetland margins, often strongly contrasting with yellow-stemmed willows.

Blooms

Look for the blooms, if the season’s right. Pacific dogwood boasts richly beautiful “false petals” in the form of snow-white leaf bracts; these surround the true flowers, which are minute and inconspicuous. Pacific dogwood often blooms twice in a year, spring through early summer and then again in the autumn. Red-osier dogwood flowers are tiny and white, growing in numerous clusters.

Fruits

Investigate the fruit, if you’re examining the shrub or tree in autumn. Red-osier dogwood sports fat, pale-white drupes enclosing a twin-seeded stone; Pacific dogwood has reddish or orangeish elliptical drupes about a half-inch across in thick clusters.

Ecological Context

Consider the plant’s habitat, which is a useful bit of supplementary information when making an identification. Pacific dogwood is a mountain-dweller: It’s typically found in deep, shady coniferous forests at low to middle elevations. Usually encountered individually, the dogwoods sprayed with their false flowers or fiery in fall foliage boldly stand out in such shadowy, somber forests. Red-osier dogwood commonly flourishes in riparian thickets and the fringes of swamps, marshes and lakes, often in the company of cottonwoods, ash and willows.

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About the Author

Ethan Shaw is a writer and naturalist living in Oregon. He has written extensively on outdoor recreation, ecology and earth science for outlets such as Backpacker Magazine, the Bureau of Land Management and Atlas Obscura. Shaw holds a Bachelor of Science in wildlife ecology and a graduate certificate in geographic information systems from the University of Wisconsin.